Memory

Physical and cost analysis of Micron’s fifth-generation low-power DRAM memory.

Last year, Micron had the third largest share in the DRAM market after Samsung and SK Hynix. This year, Micron recently announced a high FQ4-20 revenue driven by high DRAM shipments in the second half of the year. This revenue increase will sustain Micron’s competitiveness and leadership in the DRAM market.

Mobile computing content is rising sharply, creating higher demand in mobile memory solutions. Manufacturers of DRAM memory are positioning themselves to meet the aggressive demand of high-speed processing memories and power-efficient memories with higher capacity, through constant innovation in their DRAM manufacturing process. The increasing demand for memory storage continues to be driven by trends like artificial intelligence, 5G applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Micron’s LPDDR5 memory is characterized by its higher power efficiency (20% less power compared to the previous-generation low-power DRAM) and faster data processing (at peak speeds of up to 6.4Gbps), compared to previous low-power DRAM.
The increase in the area occupied by transistors on the DRAM die results in a significant area reduction of the capacitors on the DRAM die. Thus, DRAM manufacturers are decreasing the dimension of the capacitors, including the process technology used in DRAM manufacture. This scaling decrease aims to meet the capacity demand but increases manufacturing complexity.

This report constitutes an exhaustive analysis of Micron’s LPDDR5 memory dies, including a full review of the ultra-thin DRAM package. This report also includes high-resolution images of the die and focuses on the capacitor dimension and word line structures. The physical analysis and process are used to estimate the manufacturing steps in order to estimate the low-power DRAM wafer cost and die cost. Also included in this report is a comparison between Micron’s previous generation of low-power DRAM LPDDR4X and the LPDDR5. The die size, density, and physical features are compared, with a focus on the physical characteristics and the manufacturing process differences.

Overview/Introduction

• Executive Summary
• Reverse Costing Methodology

Company Profile 

• Micron Financial Results
• Micron Products & LPDDR5

Technology & Market

• DRAM Revenue &Market Share
• DRAM Mobile Market Share
• DRAM Shipments

Physical Analysis

• Synthesis of the Physical Analysis
• Physical Analysis Methodology
• Motorola Edge+ Teardown
• Package
  • Package views, dimensions and opening
• Memory Die
  • View, dimensions and marking
  • Die cross-section and die delayering
• Micron DRAM Patents

Comparison

• Micron’s LPDDR4X vs Micron’s LPDDR5

Manufacturing Process Flow

• Global Overview
• Wafer Fabrication Unit and Front-End Process

Cost Analysis

• Synthesis of the Cost Analysis
• Yield Explanations and Hypotheses
• LPDDR5 DRAM
  • Memory front-end cost
  • Memory front-end cost per process step
• Component
  • Front-end cost
  • Memory wafer and die cost
  • Back-end: Final test cost
  • LPDDR5 component cost

Estimated Price and Gross Margin Analysis

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• Samsung 128-layer V-NAND Memory
• Intel 144-layer 3D NAND Memory
• AMD Ryzen 5 Pro SoC Central Processing Unit
• BCD Technology and Cost Comparison 2021
• Nanya Technology 8Gb Standard DRAM
• Guide Infrared’s 17µm Microbolometer Module
• IRay Technology 12µm and 17µm Thermal Sensors